Modern or Coastal ||Flip List Item No.2||

So I'm trolling craigslist [like I've been known to do] and I found a modern dresser in need of some TLC.  Now normally, I would pass right by a laminate dresser but this piece was... special.

It's hard to tell in this pic, but this "white monster" as I've affectionately nicknamed it, had a weird cream/white two tone thing going on.  But it was still a modern dresser with glossy-fronted drawers that slide like butter.  It the perfect candidate for Furniture Flip Bucket List item No.2: wrap a piece in a wood shim treatment.  

wood shims taper off to one end so that you can wedge them in to help level something.  I could have used flat wood and gotten more of a butcher-block look, but I wanted to use shims to recreate this uneven affect in my inspiration photo:

Source:  The Rycotewood Furniture Centre at OCVC

So I went about covering the bright-white yucky laminate portions of the dresser with the wood shims: the top, sides, and toe-kick.  I started out with the intention of creating a polished modern look like the photo above but as I worked on it, it began to steer me in a different direction.

I liked how raw and rustic the cedar shims looked untreated (and not to mention the cedar smelled AH-MAH-ZING).  So I just went with it and ended up with a piece that's both modern and coastal:

To play off the unfinished wood's beachy vibes, I styled it with some tropical leaves [that I may or may not have harvested from a decorative potted plant in a parking lot.  I kinda felt like Chelsea did when "smuggling" home some paint sticks for this DIY project].

I then added a couple seaside touches like this piece of coral.

To play up the dresser's more modern side, I added vintage candle sticks with clean lines.  Despite the uneven surface, the shims are narrow enough that items large and small can find a flat surface to rest on anywhere across the top.

And modern satin nickel knobs on the glossy drawer fronts make a nice modern finishing touch.

All together the piece sings a modern-coastal song:

Modern Coastal Dresser
$600
SOLD

As for the progress on my 2015 flip bucket list, that means I've got 6 down and 1 to go before the end of the year.  Woot Woot!

Want to catch up?  Since January, I've crossed off items:
No.6
No.5
No.7
No.4
No.3
and now No.2: wood shim treatment

Here's to hoping that I can squeeze in item No.1: Build my Own Bakers Rack before 2016!

Featured Project: Kaitlin's Evolved MCM Cabinet

By show of hands, how many of you fancy a solid before and after? Keep your hands up if your heart skips a beat when you find a gem for a steal on Craigslist. Alright, you're all in the right place then. :) It's such a treat to get to share the work of a friend from the great world of Instagram today who just refinished a disheveled MCM china cabinet. She sent me this photo of the piece which she had just scored off of Craigslist and totally made my day when she invited my thoughts on refinishing it.

Well let me tell ya, this gal didn't need any help, that's for sure! After hearing her gorgeous two-tone plan for it, all I had to offer was, 'Keep an open mind - you never know what surprises a piece has in store for ya!' Hah! Some help. Geeesh!

It turns out this piece did have a few up it's sleeve, but Kaitlin rolled with it and cranked out this stunning transformation!

From Kaitlin:

My initial plan was to leave the doors, drawer, very top shelf, and base (legs) the original wood stain and paint everything else white. I removed the drawer and cabinet doors and taped off the top and bottom. After several good wipe downs (this piece came from a smoking home, which I didn't discover until I had already traveled 45min to go pick it up), I sanded it down, wiped clean again, then started applying my white paint. I used Behr hi-gloss enamel. I went with the enamel because I wanted a glass-like durable finish and had heard that applying poly over white can cause it to yellow.

Truth. Oil based sealers over white paint result in a lovely pee-yellow discoloration. This can be avoided by just going for a protective enamel paint as Kaitlin did, (another brand is Rustoleum's High gloss protective enamel which you can spray or brush on ), or use a Polycrylic WATER BASED sealer over your paint, rather than oil based.

After two coats there was still a dingy yellow color coming through the white. I decided I definitely needed a primer (which I should have used in the first place!). I went with Kilz 2 Latex primer. Two coats of that, and then I could apply my finishing coat of the enamel paint. When removing my tape, I realized some of the paint had gone through and gotten on the top shelf. I just decided to go with the flow and paint the top white as well.

The yellowing that Kaitlin experienced is a chronic furniture condition called 'bleed through'. It's very common with old pieces like this, but don't be alarmed! If you're going to refinish an old piece, it's better to expect it to 'bleed through' and take the precautions before you start painting to seal that jank in with either an oil based sealer or latex primer. Seems backwards to seal your piece BEFORE you paint it, but trust us; it's worth the time you'll save from not having to stop a bleeder!

The original wood stain parts were in very good condition, so I just applied some Restor-a-finish and they looked brand new!

When I got the piece it was missing one of the original wood cabinet pulls. It had a very unique shape, and I didn't think it could be easily duplicated. I decided to remove both and replace them with a recessed pull. The only pull I could find to fit was stainless steel, but I simply sprayed it with Krylon Gold Leaf to give it the brass look I wanted.

In. Love. with these recessed pulls, Kaitlin - what a match made in heaven!

I really love how versatile this piece is! Maybe one day I'll use it as an actual China cabinet, but for now I'm enjoying it in my living room as a display cabinet.

Doesn't this just make you want to pour over Craigslist and see what you can negotiate for with $20 and then restore it to 10 status?! Well, go get em'!

A HUGE thank you to Kaitlin for sharing this most stunning transformation! Your hard work has more than paid off, lady. Enjoy it for years to come!

And thank you all for stopping by and making Style Mutt Home a part of your day! We sure appreciate you.

How Riveting ||Flip List Item No.3||

As of today, I'm officially down to the last two items of my Furniture Flip Bucket List - with only two months left in the year to complete.  Huzzah!

Not sure why I ended up working backwards on this list, but since January 2015, I've crossed off items:
No.6
No.5
No.7
No.4
and now No.3: Rivet Something!

So to recap, a Riv·et (noun) is a short metal pin or bolt beaten or pressed down used for holding together two plates of metal [or other material] together.  I got my first rivet gun for Christmas and am ashamed to say I only JUST freed it from it's clam shell packaging for this project.  I claimed I was waiting for "the perfect occasion to break it in."  But the truth is I was scared.

Now there's really no reason to be intimidated by a rivet gun.  In fact, just about the only intimidating thing about this tool is the word gun in the title haha - it's not even a power tool and only costs $10 bucks!  But I confess breaking out a new tool I've never used before can make me second guess my skills.  But when I finally got an idea on how to use it, I sat down and watched a couple youtube videos to bolster my confidence and was ready to [timidly] roll.

The "worthy project" was an 80's style patio cart I acquired in early October.  It was a white powder-coated steel that almost looked like PVC pipe instead of metal.  It was tragic.

Plain Jane no?

My first instinct was to go gold using our beloved faux gold finish technique.  But when I  finished painting it, it felt flat to me.  I wanted to add something special to make it feel more... finished.

This is when I realized I already had just the tool for the job: my riveter.

Supplies needed:

Metal bar cart
Leather
Rivet Gun/ Riveter
Pop Rivets
Power Drill (not pictured)

Step 1: drill a pilot hole in the center of the handle.

Step 2: Line up the center of edge of the leather strip on the hole in the metal and drill a matching pilot hole in the leather.

Step 3: Load your rivet gun with a pop rivet (watch this video if you needed help like me) and thread the pop rivet tip through your pilot holes, pressing the tip of the rivet gun up against the cart.

Step 4. Squeeze the handles of your rivet gun until you hear the rivet "pop" (hence the name pop rivet).  When you pull the gun away, you should see the flattened tip of the rivet, securely fastening your leather to the metal. 

Step 5: using the center rivet as an anchor, wrap the leather around the handle - pulling it tight as you go. I cut my leather long enough to cover the center rivet and end almost at the underside of the handle so the seam will be hidden when I'm finished.  Then working from the outside in, repeat steps 1-4 all along the seam until the leather is completely riveted in place.

In retrospect, it would have been easier to do this  treatment with wide leather cording and wrap around the handle several times - you would only need a rivet to anchor at the  beginning and one to finish at the end.  Maybe I'll try that next time ;)

I also added leather cuffs to the feet of the cart to give it a bit more... masculinity.  I'm hoping it'll attract a buyer like Marshall's leather cuff did Lily (How I Met Your Mother fans...?).

I love the two tiers of textured glass.

Leather Wrapped Bar Cart
$160
SOLD

And hey friends!  We are looking for fellow leather-lovers to share more leather decor crafts on StyleMutt Home.  If you have a project to share, tag your pics with #stylemuttsloveleather and let's get this party started!